Tuesday, December 19, 2006

College Football Blogger Awards: Maize n' Nominations Part I

During my absence MGoBlog and Rocky Top Talk Finalized the plans for TEH SUXORZ! awards. The awards have been dubbed The 2006 College Football Blogger Awards! As RTT pointed out, we're doing this to draw attention to ourselves, not to further insulate our little world. Therefore, unfortunately, my proposed TEH SUXORZ! name was not chosen. Damn shame. Would've been great because we could've handed out this as the trophy:

Significant credit must be given to RTT and MGoBlog for sifting through all the suggestions and piecing together a set of categories that actually reflect the work that the "blogging community" does over the course of the year.

With that, here are the categories and my nominations/cuddlings:

The Dr. Z AwardFOR: Cogent, interesting analysis.CRITERIA: Emphasis placed on statistical manipulation, well researched pieces that reveal something new, and/or solid argumentative pieces that function as the authoritative last word on a subject.

Maize n' Nominations:1. MGoBlog - Brian's piece on thirddownefficiency was one of the coolest things I've ever seen statistics applied to. MGoBlog consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty in researching some of the most important and most interesting aspects of college football, offers insightful opinions in flowing prose, then supports them with Fields Medal worthy statistical data. He gets nod number one.

2. iBlog For Cookies - Vijay simply opperates at a higher level than the rest of us. A perusal of his index will indicate why.

The Trev Alberts Quits To Do Construction AwardFOR: comic relief; overall hilarity.CRITERIA: The funniest college football blog.

Maize n' Nominations:1A. House Rock Built - Everything from the Andy French Cup to the Myles Brand Decision Maker to make you laugh. Other Brian (I know he'll hate that) is one of the funniest writers I read on a daily basis who consistently makes me almost spit coffee on my screen.

2. Hey Jenny Slater - Doug has a gift. He can't write a withering essay on the state of international relations one morning then craft a hysterical response to his team's dismal season the next.

3. Tressel's World - Funniestthingever. So wrong. Yet so right. I know the Coach isn't a member of the Poll, but damn, I've laughed till I cried on that site almost as often as any of the above. Credit where credit is due.

4 & 5. MGoBlog and Dawg Sports - The way Brian and Kyle and pull references out of the Ether and somehow make them fit into college football stil frightens and amazes me. It's also why I read them first everyday.

The Sports Fans Don't Cry AwardFOR: The blog that has suffered through its chosen team's dismal season with the most dignity.CRITERIA: Continued engagement in the face of crippling, misery-inducing defeat. A stiff-upper lip and sane reaction to everything crumbling to dust.

Maize n' Nominations: (sheesh, where to start?)1. Bruins Nation - Deep down I think Nestor knew it was going to be a tough season, but he weathered it as well as could be expected. He has shown a Joey-like disdain for his head football coach, but even in the darkest of times has had his true faith in his team show through.

2. Roll Bama Roll - I'm a huge fan of Nico's work at RBR. To go through the tough season on the field and then weather the shit-storm after it deserves recognition.

3. The Bemusement Park - Pickin' on the Big Ten was one of my favorite parts of the football season, but I'm sure Iowa's collapse had to wear on Mark. He didn't show it. His words were still as crisp as ever even following a pasting by hapless Minnesota in the season finale.

The Keith Jackson Circa 1995 AwardFOR: The blog with the most consistently expressive and excellent writing.CRITERIA: Mechanical competency, yes, but the ability to turn a devastatingly funny phrase or write something compelling is probably more important. This isn't an award for copy editing; it's an award for kickin' prose.

Maize n' Nominations:1A. Ronald Bellamy's Underacheiving All-Stars - Hands down the best written site I've ever read. I would pay good money to read Johnny's work. Johnny has leveled Max Emfinger with his pen ("What's that? No, Max, of course no one thinks you've ever had sex with an underaged Asian prostitute and still had enough change from your 20 to buy a dozen White Castles and a Sugar-free Red Bull") and moved me to tears when writing about former UM Tailback Tony Boles. Orson is probably the funniest writer among us, but Johnny's the best.

1B. Dawg Sports - As a fellow attorney, I have no idea how Kyle is able to devote so much time to his beloved Bulldogs. None. The fact that he is able to churn out an average of three posts a day, which are well researched, funny, and insightful is utterly beyond me. I have toruble seplling ym name write from time to time, but Kyle always manages to spell and grammar check without losing his edge, his audience or his sense of humor.

Everyone of these sites are excellent, and there are a slew that I haven't recognized for their excellent work, but the two at the top stand out in my mind.

The Brady Quinn AwardFOR: The prettiest blog, the best layout and design.CRITERIA: An aesthetic appeal, whether from a stylish banner, a pleasing layout, or an eye-catching incorporation of blog technology.

Not really sure what to do with this one so I'll nominate in no particular order.

The New Blog on the Block AwardFOR: The best new college football blog.CRITERIA: Must have launched sometime after last year's national championship game. Transitioning to a new blog or affiliating with a network mid-stream doesn't count.

This is where I show my Big Ten bias. I'm sure there are several excellent new sites that launched after last year's national championship game (including mine, which launched in February), but I haven't had as much time to see them as I'd like. So here, again, in no particular order are some of my favorites.

The LOL, MSM AwardFOR: The blog best keeping tabs on the man and calling out all of the injustices in the college football world.CRITERIA: Consistently ahead-of-the-curve on controversial issues in college football.